California Ski Resorts Get Fresh Blanket of Snow During Storm

The ‘impressive’ accumulations in Big Bear, Wrightwood, and the Lake Tahoe area are expected to boost a snow season that has been lackluster so far.

The lifts at Big Bear Mountain Ski resort on Jan. 15, 2023. Big Bear Mountain Resort via AP

The storm system that drenched California’s coast starting Feb. 4 also delivered several inches of fresh snow to ski resorts throughout the state, boosting this winter’s mediocre season.

“It definitely helps,” Big Bear Mountain spokesman Justin Kanton told The Epoch Times. “It gets people excited and wanting to come up here.”

This season so far has been a challenge compared with last season, when significant snowfall hit the resorts starting around Christmas, he added.

During the storm, about 25 inches of snow dropped since Feb. 4 at Big Bear Mountain and Snow Summit ski resorts at Big Bear Lake, California, about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

At Snow Valley Mountain Resort, located on State Route 18 above Running Springs, about 11 miles from Big Bear Lake, the slopes received 47 inches in the weekend storm, according to Mr. Kanton.

And about 42 inches of snow fell at the Mountain High Resort in Wrightwood, California, about 82 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

The snow accumulations in the Los Angeles region were “impressive,” according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

“Snow amounts were impressive above 7,000 feet with Mountain High reporting 42 [inches] with this last storm and 51 [inches] in the last week,” the NWS said in a statement Feb. 7.

Mount Wilson, at an elevation of 5,800 feet, had 7 to 9 inches of snow, and mountains above the Grapevine, the name of a stretch of Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles, showed a coating of snow on the peaks at about 4,500 feet.

Visitors walk as snow falls in the Grant Grove of giant sequoia trees in Kings Canyon National Park, California, on February 1, 2024. Mario Tama/Getty Images

The snow level was expected to remain at about 4,500 feet Feb. 7 as temperatures stayed cool and showers continued, according to the NWS.

The weather service’s winter storm warning was expected to remain in effect until 8 a.m. Feb. 8 in the eastern San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California. Forecasters expect another 20 inches of snow at elevations around 7,000 feet, with about 3 inches in areas as low as 3,000 feet.

Farther north in the Lake Tahoe area, Northstar Ski Resort in Truckee, California, received 25 inches of fresh snow from the weekend storm, the resort reported Feb. 7. Operators have opened 14 of the resort’s 19 lifts.

Kirkwood Mountain Resort in Kirkwood, California, received 30 inches and Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe, California, recorded 21 inches since Feb. 4.

“The recent snow and storm has been a big help at our resorts,” Cole Zimmerman, spokesman for Heavenly Mountain Resort, told The Epoch Times. “Not only were our guests stoked for some powder days over the weekend, but the storm was a big factor in allowing our teams to open some key terrain. ... Most of all, it just adds a layer of coverage that was needed in some areas around our mountains.”

Snowpack levels rose considerably across California during the storm, reaching about 73 percent of normal on Feb. 7, according to the California Department of Water Resources. Before the storm on Feb. 3, the state’s snowpack only measured 60 percent of normal.

Most regions of Southern California were drying out Feb. 7 after three consecutive days of rainfall during the latest atmospheric river event, but forecasters said a small storm cell could push through the area by the evening.

“The rain amounts and intensities with this system wouldn’t normally cause much concern, and for most urban areas issues should be minimal and confined to just standard minor road flooding,'‘ according to the NWS. “However, in areas near hillsides the additional rain could quickly trigger additional slides.’’

Gusty winds could continue into Feb. 8, according to the weather service’s forecast.